


Natural Repellent

by Allain_Kelyarus



Category: Mushishi
Genre: A little bit of introspection, Gen, Investigating rumors, New Friends, Opposites, Tense first encounter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 19:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15802821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allain_Kelyarus/pseuds/Allain_Kelyarus
Summary: “Have you heard? There’s a guy that can repel Mushi!”“Legend says if you venture far enough South you’ll meet a man who Mushi hate.”“I’ve seen it! With my own two eyes! He waves a hand and the Mushi run away!”“He’s a demon wearing human skin. But his blood is different from ours and the Mushi can sense it. Crossing paths with him is a fate worse than death.”“The gods placed Mushi here for a reason and that man upsets the balance.”





	Natural Repellent

Ginko had heard the rumors for _years_ now. Every self-respecting Mushi-shi had at this point. A rumor that outrageous was bound to spread quickly.

_“Have you heard? There’s a guy that can repel Mushi!”_

_“Legend says if you venture far enough South you’ll meet a man who Mushi hate.”_

_“I’ve seen it! With my own two eyes! He waves a hand and the Mushi run away!”_

_“He’s a demon wearing human skin. But his blood is different from ours and the Mushi can sense it. Crossing paths with him is a fate worse than death.”_

_“The gods placed Mushi here for a reason and that man upsets the balance.”_

But you see where there’s smoke there’s fire and Ginko has always been the type of person to let his curiosity get the best of him. So that’s how he finds himself turning South early one morning and he doesn’t look back.

There isn’t much to go on. Just a general location and the fact that the person is male. But Ginko never stops asking questions and that’s the key. He’s in a small fishing village along the coast when he hears something important.

_“Buried amongst the trees a man lives free from the Mushi that share our world.”_

A forest then? He doesn’t get much more from the old woman who tells him this, but it gives him a new direction. He leaves the coast and moves inland. He buys a few maps to plot a path with as many forests as he can. It makes sense that the guy would want to live away from people. It reminds him of Shinra who lives in that big house in the forest with his grandmother. Someone else whose abilities make life with others difficult.

He looks for areas remote as possible but still potentially hospitable for humans. The guy is most likely self-sufficient to keep from dealing with other people. Again, understandable with the way the rumors talk about him.

It isn’t until months later when he runs into another Mushi-shi traveling along the same mountain path that he gets his next clue. The guy was young and extremely friendly, so they ended up traversing part of the mountain together until they have to head separate ways.

_“Ah, the man who can supposedly repel Mushi? Everyone has heard that one before! Although… I once heard from an old Buddhist priest: “Past where the horizon turns to stone, over the river of life, and deep inside a forest of hope lives a man with a curse in his veins.” You think that could be your guy?”_

Possibly. At this point Ginko is ready to investigate anything. His plan of going forest to forest is a tedious one and at the rate he’s been going it’ll likely take a lifetime. He’ll take all the clues he can get. So, after asking a few more questions Ginko narrows down a much more specific search area and the two later head their separate ways.

It doesn’t take Ginko long to start deducing the riddle and he wonders if others have done the same. The horizon of stone is a particularly mountainous area where when one stands on flat earth the horizon they view is covered in tall jagged mountains. The river of life obviously alludes to a where a Light Vein runs. It’s the forest of hope that gives him the most trouble.

He’s been wandering what he supposes is the right area for a week when he figures things out. Maybe it’s the lack of proper sleep, or the fact that he’s running low on water, or maybe a combination of both but he swears he can hear something calling out to him. Normally he’d avoid something like that since it could be any number of things. But now when he’s not of completely sound mind and he’s already invested so much time and hard work into following this rumor he finds himself following the voice he hears.

It leads him to a cave. Puzzled only for a moment he enters and soon figures it out. A combination of the wind, the cave’s dampness, and the tunnel like shape of the cave creates the sound he heard. It’s close enough to the sounds a human voice can make that it was enough to fool him when he’s not at his best.

But the fact that the wind blowing is causing the sound tells him that their must be an exit on the other side. Continuing deeper inside proves him right and as he makes out the light on the other side he wonders if this has anything to do with what the Buddhist priest said. As he emerges and takes in the sight before him he supposes it does.

The forest continues on the other side and it’s nothing like the harsh and thick brush he’s been traveling through for a week. The forest on this side is lush and colorful. Fruit grows from trees where on the other side there wasn’t a single fruit in sight. The vibrancy of the plant life around him is startling especially considering he’s long past the Light Vein from before.

_“A forest of hope huh?”_ Ginko thinks to himself.

Readjusting his pack, he walks forward to continue his search with the feeling that he’s going in the right direction finally. He’s not sure how big this forest is. It’s most definitely not included on any of the maps he has.

The sound of rushing water gets his attention and the thought of refilling his own water supply comes to mind. He comes upon a freshwater stream with fast flowing water and a few stones peaking out above the water. Taking in the scenery he decides to rest here. Setting down his pack and removing his coat he rolls up his sleeves and splashes water on his face.

Even if the man he’s looking for isn’t here he supposes this place is a good enough find all on its own. After restocking on water, he takes the time to lay back and rest. Letting the sounds of the forest wash over him and lull him into a state of semi-consciousness.

The next time Ginko opens his eyes the sky has darkened significantly. He sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes. Scratching his head, he looks around and finds his surroundings as he left them. Just as he’s reaching for his usual cigarette the wind blows and he smells a familiar scent.

_Nikuja… Someone must be cooking nearby._

He gathers his things and follows his nose as the scent gets stronger. As he nears its origin he comes into an open clearing with a small wooden house built into the center. The design is simple but sturdy. It’s not something he would expect to see this deep into the forest. But then again, he didn’t even know this part of the forest existed a while ago, so really anything is possible at this point.

He notices the smoke rising from the house and concludes he was right. Someone must be inside cooking their dinner. Just then his stomach growls and he finds himself trying to remember when he had his last meal. Well, he won’t get fed just standing there so he hopes whoever is inside is friendly and willing to share. In the back of his mind he realizes that this could be it. This could be the person he’s been searching for.

There’s a surprising amount of nerves as he knocks on the door and asks if anyone is home. But they dwindle by the third time he knocks. Maybe they’re out and left their dinner to cook? If so, he’ll just have to wait which he supposes won’t take too long. Just as he’s resigning himself to wait for the home owner’s return a voice speaks up from behind him.

_“I know what you are, and I suggest you leave this place and never come back.”_

And that’s how they meet. Hostile but nothing Ginko wasn’t already prepared to face. With the way the rumors talk about him this guy was bound to be unwelcoming to strangers. He supposes it doesn’t help his case that he’s a Mushi-shi on top of everything.

It takes a lot of convincing on Ginko’s part for the man to stop brandishing an axe at him and actually listen to what he has to say. Later as time passes, and they look back on their first meeting they’re able to laugh about it but in the heat of the moment they were both afraid. Ginko because if he said or did the wrong thing things could take a turn for the worse very quickly. The guy because he’s had to be cautious of everyone he meets for most of his life and there’s no telling what kind of intentions Ginko has.

They’re both cautious with each other at first. Ginko isn’t even allowed in the man’s home in the beginning because who knows? Maybe he’s just trying to gain his trust, so he can attack him when he’s vulnerable.

Six weeks past and they gain an understanding with one another. Two and a half months and Ginko is allowed inside. Four months and the man finds he’s stopped over analyzing everything Ginko says or does. By six months they have a tentative relationship something bordering along the lines of friendship.

Somewhere along the way it was just decided that Ginko could stay as long as he liked. The man enjoyed his company and hearing all of his stories from his travels. Ginko enjoyed having somewhere he could stay and not worry about the Mushi gathering and causing trouble. It was a new experience for both of them.

Before either of them realizes a year has passed.

Ginko becomes restless. He’s not used to having somewhere he can stay permanently if he wishes. He’s used to his nomadic lifestyle and he can’t help but wonder what he’s missed in the time he’s stayed there. Then early one morning similar to the morning this all started on he finds himself packing his things. He’s stayed there long enough. Imposed on his now friend and satisfied his curiosity enough.

Surprisingly his friend doesn’t even bat an eye when he sees Ginko all packed up and ready to go. He supposes the idea that Ginko would leave has always been there at the back of his mind. After all nothing good ever lasts. He’s sad to see his new companion go but at the same time he understands. Ginko is a traveler at heart and he’s sure that even if Ginko didn’t attract Mushi and become a Mushi-shi he would still have grown to become a traveler. Curiosity is in his nature he’s always looking for something new. It’s simply who he is, and no one can blame him for that. So, all he says as his friend leaves is to be careful and remind him that he’s welcome anytime.

They part ways just as Ginko has done so many times with so many others before and will no doubt continue to do so in the future. The only difference is he knows he’ll come back and stay for a while.


End file.
